through the doors leading to Room 3, you will not be allowed to turn back.” He surveyed the
faces, from butter cream to rich ebony, some curious, others ill at ease. “At that point, you will
become a danger to us all.”
Though he had hoped his last statement would thin the group out considerably, most of them
assembled in Room 2.
A single hand went up in the back of the room.
Gabriel walked to the smaller podium and gestured for Luke to speak.
“So you think there’s some diabolical plan to exterminate us?” he ground out.
Lucille smiled at her husband, then lifted her head in a haughty gesture that angered Gabriel
all the more.
Gabriel exchanged a quick glance with Jean, who soon made her way to the nearest guard.
He hoped she was instructing him to remove the disruptive couple as soon as the opportunity
presented itself.
“Ms. Sanger’s plan,” Gabriel continued, drumming his fingers along the side of the wooden
podium, “was similar to Hitler’s. Both intended to kill enemies they deemed inferior.”
Murmurs went up around them. Sensing the crowd’s uncertainty, Gabriel needed to bring
things to a level these God-fearing people could not ignore. He stepped down and paced the open
aisle as he said, “The same plan was executed in the Bible. Kill all the male children. Deal wisely
with them, lest they multiply and join with our enemies to overcome us.” This statement brought
on a sudden, respectful silence.
Gabriel kept a watchful eye on Lucille, whose presence disturbed him in no small way. He
had never told his wife about the times her sister attempted to seduce him. Of course, he had
always remained faithful. Word travelled fast when a man was dipping his spoon in more than
one bowl. Hopefully, Lucille would lose interest and leave more quietly than she had come.
From the back of the room, Jeremiah tapped his watch, causing Gabriel to move near the
entryway which led to salvation for some, and possible death for others.
He leaned against the heavy oak doors and studied the people in the room. “We have to do
something to better our lives,” he said. “And if that means leaving this place, our families—
everything—to accomplish this goal, so be it.”
Seconds passed before Gabriel moved back into the center of the room and placed a gentle
hand on Della’s shoulder, delicately covering the angry purple bruises he saw there. He moved
on to touch Tonda’s hand, then lifted her face and saw that her hazel eyes were filled with the
hardness of the life she faced as a widow caring for three children. Then he stood in front of
Vera Lee, who had no choice but to support herself and her daughter with money made lying
on her back. She carried herself with as much dignity as she could muster, enduring the disdain
of the people who had refused to help her but made it their business to talk about her at every
opportunity.
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